Downhole fluid analysis (DFA) is often used to provide information in real time about the composition of subterranean formations or reservoir fluids. Such real-tune information can be advantageously used to improve or optimize the effectiveness of formation testing tools during a sampling processes in a given well, including sampling processes which don't return a captured formation fluid sample to the Earth's surface. For example, DFA allows for reducing and/or optimizing the number of samples captured and brought back to the surface for further analysis. Some known downhole fluid analysis tools such as the Live Fluid Analyzer (LFA) and the Composition Fluid Analyzer (CFA), both of which are commercially available from Schlumberger Technology Corporation, can measure absorption spectra of formation fluids under downhole conditions. Each of these known fluid analyzers provides ten channels, each of which corresponds to a different wavelength of light that corresponds to a measured spectrum ranging from visible to near infrared wavelengths. The output of each channel represents an optical density (i.e., the logarithm of the ratio of incident light intensity to transmitted light intensity), where an optical density (OD) of zero (0) corresponds to 100% light transmission, and an OD of one (1) corresponds to 10% light transmission. The combined OD output of the channels provides spectral information that can be used to determine the composition and various other parameters of formation fluids.